Life sciences make 'significant' contribution to Utah economy

Those were among the words speakers used to describe Utah’s life science industry at the recent Utah Life Science Summit, organized by industry association BioUtah.

“It’s very clear to us that life sciences makes a significant contribution to the Utah economy,” Natalie Gochnour, associate dean of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah and director of the university’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, said at the event’s keynote presentation.

In 2015, she said, life sciences accounted for 2.7 percent of Utah private-sector jobs, with a total of 32,200. The $2.1 billion its companies paid workers that year was 4.1 percent of the state total. And sales of $12.7 billion in 2012 were 5.2 percent of the state’s overall figure.

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